BOBBY CALVES.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXXI, Issue 5595, 4 July 1930, Page 6

BOBBY CALVES.

ENTHUSIASTIC MEETING. SOUTHLAND CONDITIONS. COMPARISON WITH WAIKATO. (Published by Arrangement) From 7.30 till well after 11 o’clock on Thursday night a full and enthusiastic attendance was keenly interested, in the Farmers’ Union Hall, Matamata, in listening .to addresses on the bobby calf industry by Messrs. J. Fisher (South Island) and S. C. G. Lye (Cambridge). Mr. D. B. Higgins, president of the Matamata branch of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, presided," and briefly introduced the speakers. Waikato Effort. Mr. Lye, who spoke first, stated that Waikato had a greater number of cows than any other district in New Zealand, and so the co-operative company had received most attention from opposing forces. The company had been instrumental in removing thousands of cull cows. This> was of great benefit, to farmers, and, though the price had not been great, that was on account of striking the greatest financial slump the world had known. So great had been the trouble he had been through that he sometimes wondered whether it was worth while fostering the cooperative business. The speaker then detailed the first steps in establishing the bobby calf business, and the difficulties encountered. As the movement grew, the meat companies came in, and this increased cartage prices, because several carters were now running on each route. As carters had to have full lorries, rates had naturally increased. Last year, under the oneseller idea, the company had been able to dispose of 2000 tons of veal. Loss of Weight.

Calves supplied to the speaker’s company had lessened in weight each year, the average being 35.261 b the first year, 35.441 b the second year, and 33.531 b the third year. The goodwall had to be built up by quality, and the meat exported had to cook white. Last year, as a result of lack of co-operation, he had to pay in £173, and this year if he drew his wages there would be a loss. He did not feel inclined this year to forego his wages. At the moment hejSwas holding from 250 to 300 tons of beef because of the stagnant market. It was time the pig-marketing, the cull cow and the bobby calf businesses were amalgamated, with their own directors and offices, to hold their own in the market. There were 18,436 suppliers in the Auckland province, and if each put in the value ofhis registered bull, which was not much, it would provide. sufficient capital to finance the effort in a proper manner. With proper equipment, staffing and organisation’ farmers would then be in a position to hold their own. (Applause.) A Southland View, After returning thanks for the cordial reception accorded him Mr. Fisher stated that for 25 years he had been associated with co-operative work. For 20. years he had not missed a meeting of the South IsKand Dairy Conference. He was chairman of the Farmers’ Dairy Federation,, of Southland, which had been bpm under difficult circumstances, as at the time the whole province was controlled by proprietary concerns. Farmers 'then realised that the producers should get the profits whdch were going to; other people.

“Hewers of Wood.” The speaker' was not there to advocate the claims of any individual but to further his ideals of cooperation. Co-operation was the only basis on -which a farmer could succeed in. lifting himself out of the position of being a hewer of wood or a drawer of water for the capitalists of the country. (Loud applause.) Mr. Dickie, M.P., who was keen on co-operution, had, when on a trip to the. Old Country, recognised the possibilities in the bobby calf business and had been tojd by a Dane in. London that he would take 500 tons of veal at 6d. per pound. This made Mr. Dickie think,, so that when he came back he ’ made a trial shipment. The Health Department and Dr. Reakes wcaild not grant, a permit, because t’/ie department thought it would endanger New Zealand’s good name. Ultimately a permit was granted, but opposition was met with from the authorities! at Home. Going to the Control ‘.Board, the speaker asked for a guarantee in case of, condemnation. This was secured, and the venture proved to be successful. That was the eommence,ment of the bobby c’.alf industry, which Mr. Dickie was in a position to make as managing-d irector of the Patea Freezing Company. The next season. Mr. Lye can le into the business in Waikato, j ust' when all the row was on, when people were bein?;- told of the “< jannibalistic ” tradie which was being. 4 carried on. (Latighter.) However, tJhose. difficulties were overcome. . Ml this had taken place before the sjpeaker came into the picture except (that he was a member of the C onr£rol. Board which considered the j guarantee. Realising that the bob >fcy .calf business was of benefit tc » th® farmers in Southland, he had of big profits. However, he h id 'always been a co-operator and h ad always felt that if they were 1 nonest with cooperation it could be: it ordinary competitive business. 1 (Applause.) The speaker had then d‘ fussed 'the matter with Mr. Middl e&on, chairman of the South Island Dairy Federation. Mr. Middleton w: jjs :a typical conservative Englishn man, who could not be moved with a ( 40-fodt pole with an elephant on th g.ond .of it: (Laugh-

ter.) He was dead opposed to con-trol—-to any control but his own. (Laughter.) However, Mr. Middleton had taken the matter up and thus given rather unexpected support. Out of this grew the Southland effort. Hitting Below the Belt. , Now that the speaker understood conditions' in Waikato he wished to say that he thought they had not been fair ,to Mr. Lye. The speaker had spoken at Morrinsville and he found that unwittingly he had been hitting Mr. Lye hard below the belt. Now that he understood conditions he was one of the first in his efforts to get Mr. Lye in with them. (Applause.) Mr. Lye had been workingunder different conditions to what they did in Southland and had been doing things for farmers whichthey would never do. Mr. Lye had given guarantees and that was what they would not do. They asked their farmers to trust them and they did. (Applause.) In Southland they had a committee which had never changed. They were told they were fools, etc., but had carried on until successful, yet at no time had they undertaken any financial responsibility as Mr. Lye had done. Like Chocolates. At one period the hearts, etc., had been put into the digestor at the works, but they felt that if attractively packed and put on the market there would be some value in them. The freezing company had objected, but later had agreed. The first year’s profit on the kidneys, hearts, etc., had paid all their expenses. (Applause.) They put the kidneys up attractively until they looked like a glorified box of chocolates. (Loud laughter.) That was what buyers wanted.

In selling their veal they had got it “ right in the heck.” This made them think, and they decided to try and-form a pool for selling. Accordingly he wrote to Mr. Dickie asking if he would favour a co-op-erative pooh This object was gained and they had learned much' in regard to marketing. Messrs. Dickie and Morton agreed to the formation of a company and they found on meeting that in one particular direction each had been getting it in the neck. They had been told to be careful of Lye. zHe was an enemy in the camp. (Laughter.) Now they found he would be a dashed bad man to have outside, the camp. (Applause.)

Lye’s Pool. - They found Mr. Lye was handling the biggest individual pool in the country and was having a rough time. They felt they should have him in, and now they had him in they felt he was a jolly hard man to keep in. With the federation formed they found matters easier. It was not cash that counted so much, as credit.' If a man had a pocketful of cash and no credit he was limited to his pocket and finished when that was -finished. (Applause.) When they had a commodity ‘ properly handled which others wanted there was practically no limit to their credit or the berms they could get. They had proved that the cash value of the skin off bobby calves was far and away better than the skin taken off by the boy on the farm. Out. of 23,000 skins only 16 were rejected the first season, and last season not one per cent out of 2(00,000 skins had been rejected. The federation welcomed the criticism of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The business was entitled to all the restrictions necessary, because they knew that if after all this they got the Government approval stamp it meant they were sending to Great Britain the highest quality veal in the world. (Loud applause.) They had found that before high standard veal went on the market the veal sold was made into pies for costers, and those without spending power. Now their own veal was going on to the tables of the aristocracy. (Applause.) A Free Country. This was a free country, and everyone had a right to trade and make what profits they could. They decried no one, but they must remember that if the other fellow had them by the wool they would not get the profit. (Applause.) Dairymen produced the biggest unit of value in this country, and the intelligence which produced £20,000,000 worth of produce had surely sufficient intelligence to sell it. Yet what had happened? Farmers had put their produce on the boats with a “ God bless you, do the best you can with it and I’ll take what’s left.” (Loud laughter and applause.) A voice: Too true; it’s correct; Continuing, the speaker said that if expenses were, piled up the produce became too dear, and there was little left for the producer. Waikato was the co-operative centre of New Zealand. To Southlanders it was the emblem of true co-operation, yet he found that in the bobby calf industry. they had not been fair to themselves or those trying to help. In Southland they lifted the calves at the factory, as it was not business to run a lorry along a road for a few calves. In Southland it cost lOd per head, and in the Waikato 2s 5d for cartage. In Southland farmers were content to rest assured their directors would do their best , for them. Farmers did not expect to be paid for butter-fat at the gate; they trusted their directors to do their best and pay once a month. From an economic point of view it was not a paying proposition to expect all calves to be picked up on the farm. Waste in Waikato. Present methods of payment in Waikato resulted in great waste. Fifteen thousand cheques meant £l3O, then there was the cost of postage, envelopes and making out the cheques. All this and more was cut out in Southland. (Applause.) One bad horse spoiled a team, as every farmer knew, and men like

Mr. Brash had stated that what farmers .wanted most was hot leaders, but team-work. (Loud applause.) Yet all the time some farmers were bucking and playing up and thereby injuring their own interests. (Loud applause.) If they let co-operation down prices would soon slump. If they killed the organisation which protected their interests they would find, it a very hard thing to start all over again. Co-operation plus ordinary business intelligence could wipe competition off the map, but co-operation without business intelligence was nothing but a putrid mass. When they had built up their co-operative business they must get the best brains possible and pay them the same big money the opposition would pay. Then with these brains and their loyal co-operation they would have nothing to fear. The opposition quite rightly were out to get the most of the farmers produce they could at the least possible price. They also rightly asked: “Well, why doesn’t the farmer protect himself? That was it; they had to protect themselves. (Applause.) Values Doubled. ' The industry to the present time had resulted in doubling the value of calves, yet so far they had only touched the fringe. There were possibilities in converting the bones and grissle which should make the value 10s or 15s. They could make gelatine and ju-jubes—(laughter)—and they believed the ju-jubes they at present ate were not made from such good stuff as they produced. (Laughter.) They further believed calves should be tagged. In Waikato there had been 18 per cent of rejects; in Southland, where they tagged, there was only 11 per cent, because a reject only brought 4s. They asked for a Government regulation making tagging compulsory. At Morrinsville it had been suggested that they should grade the carcases, and this he understood would be done in the Waikato. He believed in grading, but so far they had not adopted it in Southland. He urged them “to i stick to co-operation and assist- Mr. Lye. If they did so he knew they would have no regrets. It was only by strong team work that they could succeed. (Loud and continued applause.)

Waste in Lorries. Touching on the economic side of co-operafion, Mr. ' Rutledge felt farmers did not give enough "attention to costs. Two years ago he -found 13 lorries on the road delivering - to their factory. This meant 13 drivers’ wages and money for lorries going to America, which would not buy a pound of our butter. It cost about £BOO a year to keep a lorry on the road. In two years he had cut the lorries down to seven, which saved from £5OOO to £6OOO a year. Even to-day he felt that some of their farmers did not .quite realise what they had been saved in this direction. Another factor was lack of team-work caused largely through lack of confidence. Some .men had the power of speech and others powers of organisation. This being so, they should ’not expect too much of their leaders, but should get behind them, and, dropping any feeling of jealousy, supply the backing of team-work and there was little they could not achieve. They would get good team-work amongst their own fellows and leaders if they all stood solidly' together behind them. In proposing a vote of thanks, the chairman stated it was the finest address on co-operation he had ever listened to. He felt there was a revival taking place in the Matamata district, and he' hoped the address would result in all having more determination in their efforts than in the past. There was no question but that there had been a suspicion falsely engendered against Mr. Lye. However, the more they saw of him the more they felt they owed him great thanks for sticking to his guns. (Applause.) ,